Washington Nationals: Game one should decide Game two’s starter
By Tom Sileo
The Washington Nationals should wait and see who wins game one of the NLDS before naming the starting pitcher for game two.
Tuesday’s Wild Card win for the Washington Nationals was unforgettable and thrilling. After a champagne celebration, the Nats must now turn their attention to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Nats almost certainly wouldn’t have advanced to the NLDS without a brilliant relief outing from Stephen Strasburg, who lowered his career postseason ERA to a staggering 0.41. Washington cannot beat Los Angeles without Strasburg playing a key role.
After correctly using Strasburg out of the bullpen in a must-win game, Nats manager Davey Martinez has a crucial decision to make about who starts game two on Friday. He should wait to make that call until the conclusion of game one.
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If Patrick Corbin and the Nationals win the series opener, they should turn to Aníbal Sánchez in game two. The right-hander not only had a solid 2019 season but is a seasoned veteran who pitched in the postseason as recently as last year, when he faced the Dodgers as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
Starting Sánchez would not only give the Nats an opportunity to win game two but would enable Strasburg and Max Scherzer to start game three and four at home on proper rest. Corbin, who matches up well on paper with a left-handed heavy Dodgers lineup, would then be lined up to start a potential game five.
If the Nationals lose game one, Strasburg – assuming he is physically capable of returning on short rest – should start game two. Washington cannot afford to leave Dodger Stadium down 2-0 in a best of five series and realistically expect to win three straight games against an elite opponent. Should the Nats lose Thursday, they will face what’s essentially a must-win game on Friday night.
In this scenario, Scherzer would start game three on Sunday night in Washington. Assuming the series continues, Martinez would have the option of starting Sánchez in game four or turning back to Corbin if the Nats are facing elimination. Strasburg could then start game five on sufficient rest.
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Regardless of what’s ultimately decided, the Washington Nationals have the luxury of choosing from what is probably the National League’s best starting rotation in a five-game series. No matter who wins, this opening round showdown with the Dodgers should be very fun to watch.